The Disease Of Chaos
by LuckyKira
Summary: DISCONTINUED. Zombie AU. Normal people fight but of course not all will survive. This follows storylines of 11 different groups of people who never meet with minor storylines. Human names used. Rated M due to violence in upcoming chapters. Author's Note: ALL THE FEELS. I'm sorry, But it's unlikely your favourite character will live. Have a nice day.
1. In the beginning

"Artie, you there?" My friend speaks over the phone. The 'Artie' being referred to myself, Arthur Kirkland. I'm a 22 year-old man, with spiky blonde hair and emerald green eyes. I'm dressed in a suit, on my way to the airport to pick up my friend; when I saw this horrible sight.

"Alfred… You'll have to wait," I say.

"What? Wait, Artie-" I hang up on him and approach the lady, about 20, lying on the floor. Her breathing's shallow. Her arm and shoulder are completely torn by what appears to be bite marks. Her blood is slowly leaving her body, making her extremely pale. She looks up at me weakly with ice blue eyes. Her purple dress is stained red with blood and her ginger hair is messed up from what appears could have been a fight.

"Miss, are you alright? I'll call an ambulance," I say, away to dial 999. She grabs my hand and shakes her head. I lower my phone and put in back in my pocket. "Miss? What happened…?"

"Some… lunatic… bit me…" She rasps out weakly. I take a hold of one of her hands and hold her up. Her other hand goes to her heart-shaped, silver locket around her neck. "Please… Kill me while… I'm myself…"

My eyes widen as she says this. "What do you mean? You can be helped…"

"No…" She shakes her head barely. "I saw my… my lover become… one of those things… right before my eyes… Then she attacked me…" Tears well up in the lady's eyes. "So, please… before I become like that…"

I look in worry. What is going on? I nod. "Okay. But, first… My name's Arthur Kirkland…"

"Haha… names huh? I'm Amelia Jones…" She's slowly undoes the locket round her neck and drops it on the ground. "Take that please… So I'm not forgotten… And… You need to smash my head in…"

I nod once more and stand up and look around for something. I see a bat lying on the doorstep of a house and pick it up. I lift it above my head, tears swelling up. "Rest in peace, Amelia…" I swing the bat down.

I walk away with the locket around my neck. I look down the streets. People appear to be continuing on with life. Till they see me. Blood covers my hands; the bat I hold and the locket round my neck. And I don't care. I walk with my head down when someone grabs my shoulder.

"Dude, you okay?" He says. I shove him off and continue walking forward, with no direction. "Artie!" I freeze as he says that.

"Al…fred?" I say slowly, turning around.

"Dude…" He says, taking me by the shoulders. "What happened?"

"Some lady… was bit…" I say. "She… was attacked by her lover…"

"What? Bit?"

I nod. "Yeah… Her lover was bit and… went insane… And she ran… And was bit by some lunatic…"

"Hold it. Someone went insane after being bit…?" I nod. "That sounds like zombies, man…"

"Zombies?" My eyes widen as I realize it adds up. Some mysterious disease had been advertised on the news.

"Hey Artie… What was that lady's name?" Alfred asks, staring at the locket around my neck.

"Amelia Jones. Why?" I answer.

"My sister…" Alfred breaks down right in front of me.

* * *

Scientists run around, panicking. They had never seen a disease like this. It is throwing the world into chaos. Governments all around the world have been warned. Some closed their borders straight away such as Madagascar and the Nordic countries. Others ignored the warning, believing it to be a lie, despite the evidence. Others just didn't know how to react. But scientists knew this disease had to be contained.

Only problem is that it's hard to contain something that appeared to come from no where. Scientists knew the disease was in DNA, passed through biting usually. The disease destroyed the brain of all normal functions and slowly ridded the person of logic and reason. The person became a mindless drone focussed on one thing; food.

So far it was known that the disease had largely hit the USA and UK. Most other countries had small contamination. The UK was struggling with the disease meanwhile the USA was paradise for these 'zombies.' The Nordic countries closed their people in, unknown that the disease was already there. Their people are now trapped.

Many other countries were working together to group survivours together. But no matter what, people were dying. The governments, with some sense left, sent a message out over the radio.

* * *

Alfred and I had been hiding and surviving together for a few months now. Alfred arrived in England at the start of the outbreak. The outbreak escalated quickly and many family members of mine had been killed. The only two I know are definitely alive are Ian and Peter. Ian had run straight away, taking Peter, promising Arthur he would meet him somewhere.

My head drops to my hands as I start crying again. Although Alfred's here, I feel so lonely. Knowing all my brothers are gone… I look up and peek out the window. The smell of burning rotten flesh makes its way up my nose and I sneeze. The smell is horrible now. Most of the British have gone insane and attacking other survivours.

Alfred places a hand on my shoulder to reassure me and to tell me we have to move. I nod and we move out for another time.

* * *

Surviving is too difficult. I just want to die. Lie down and let them take me. That wouldn't be so bad would it? No… Peter. And Ian. I have to find my brothers. I push up the stairs faster than before after Alfred. Alfred had changed into a pair of loose combat trousers and a black tank top. He carries a chain saw strapped to his back but carries a pistol for distant head shots. I have changed into a ripped blue shirt and also a pair of loose combat trousers. I move quietly up the stairs. Alfred suddenly stops and I don't realize till I walk into his back. He taps my arm and points in front of him.

Standing there is a rotting 'zombie'. Blood pours from his mouth and his flesh is falling off. His eyes are looking right at us; or rather, through us. We already know that these 'zombies' can't see, talk or feel pain. But they can smell and hear and taste extra well. Alfred's away to shoot it with his pistol, when I point out other 'zombies' through the open door of the apartment. I pull my bow off my back and aim carefully. Headshot in one.

* * *

((Author's note:

Alfred = America/USA

Arthur = England

Ian = Scotland

Peter = Sealand

Hope you enjoy!

Next chapter: We find out about Ian and Peter's situation~))


	2. Sleep is what I fear now

**Day One**

Arthur – with Alfred

* * *

England - with America

* * *

It had been hard but we're finally in a safe place. A few weeks have passed since the government broadcasted about this strange disease. Alfred panicked about it when it first came over; because when he first arrived, I was covered in his sister's blood. Then I explained her DNA never got in my body, therefore I am 'pure', as the government would say. Those infected are 'impure' and must killed is what the government ordered. Those without any trace of the disease are 'pure' and must be saved. At the present moment, Alfred and I are 'pure' although a bit shaken.

"Let's stop running for now, Alfred," I say, sliding down the wall of the classroom. We had recently run into a school for cover. It's the summer holidays so the 'zombies' never got into the school. The desks are still lined up neatly, the walls blank for a fresh start. No sign of 'zombies' here. "We need to rest."

"Agreed. I hate running like this," Alfred says, looking out the window. I head to the doors and secure them shut, just in case. We're on the fourth floor so if 'zombies' get in, we're screwed. "Arthur? Think we'll survive?"

"Bloody hell, Alfred," I say, my normal cursing self coming back. I smile at him. "Of course we will. I mean, I still got to find my two surviving brothers. And your twin is still in Canada right?"

"Yeah, he is," Alfred says, hanging his head. "I hope he says where he is. The broadcast said Canada is completely uninfected. But…"

"It's unlikely to stay that way," I say, finishing off his trail of thought. I think for a moment. "I wonder how Ian and Peter are… I hope they're alright."

"Dude, they will be," Alfred says, rubbing my shoulder. "They will be…"

A scream comes from outside and I stand up quickly, looking out the window. A young girl with long blonde hair tied up in two high ponytails on each side on her head. Her red glasses have one side broken. Her plain short sleeved blue dress has been torn up bad and she's been chased by two guys on motorbikes. "Alfred," I say. We look at each other and understand. We hurry down the stairs as fast as we can.

One of the guys with badly dyed black hair takes her face in his hand. "Well, ain't you a cutie?" he says teasingly. The girl slaps his hand away and steps back.

"Get away from me!" she screams in his face. The other guy grabs her from behind. He's got scruffy brown hair, covered in blood. The black haired one stops his motorbike and starts rubbing his hands over her face. She struggles for a moment.

I fire an arrow and it cuts the tip of the black haired guy's nose. "Shit! What was that?!" The guy shouts, turning in the direction of Alfred and me.

"Let the girl go," I say plainly, loading another arrow. "Or the next one might just leave you dead on the floor." I glare at him. The girl looks in fear at me.

"Whatever bastard!" The brown haired guy tries to start his motorbike and run when I fire the arrow at his shoulder. He falls off his bike, writhing in pain. "Shit! Fuck you!"

"Not my fault you never listened. Alfred," I signal him. Alfred runs forward, putting his arm round the girl, holding a pistol to the brown haired guy while I have my bow pointed at the black haired guy. "Now, we'll be protecting her in the _right _way a lady should be protected."

The two guys glare at us and straighten up quick. The brown haired guy pulls out the arrow sharply and throws it to the ground. They spit and drive away on their motorbikes.

"Miss, are you alright?" I say, turning to the girl in Alfred's arms. She's not actually much younger than Alfred. I'm about 22, Alfred's 20 so my guess is this girl is 19 perhaps.

"I'm fine," she says, pushing away from Alfred's arms. "… Thank you."

"It's no problem!" Alfred says, grinning.

"If you want, Miss, you may stay with us," I offer. "We won't try anything unlike them. I just want to find my brothers and Alfred just wants to get out alive."

"I'd… I'd like that. But if you try anything, you can trust me to kick your asses," she threatens.

I smile a little at that and look about the street. It's still empty, despite the commotion. That's a relief. "Well, let's head back to the classroom. You don't look in a good condition right now," I say, gesturing to the girl's clothes.

She looks down and realizes just how much is showing and blushes. "Okay… Thanks. My name's Rose* Smith by the way."

* * *

fem!England*

* * *

"Arthur Kirkland," I say. "And this is Al-"

"Alfred Jones," Alfred shouts out, interrupting me. "The Hero from the USA!" He smirks and kisses Rose's hand. "At your-"

SLAP. Rose's hand goes right across his face and she just turns away and walks by me, as I lead the way back to the classroom we were hiding out in beforehand. Alfred follows behind, the kicked puppy look clear upon his face.

We get up there and I tell Alfred to search for some clothes while I patch Rose's wounds. It looks like we might be here for the rest of the day…

Ian – with Peter

* * *

Scotland - with Sealand

* * *

"Dammit!" I shout. Peter, my little brother of 12, cuddles in the corner, scared of my rage. He has blonde hair and bushy eyebrows just like Arthur; but he has sea blue eyes instead. He's short and he's wearing a white top and brown shorts and shoes just now; whatever I could get on him before I ran away with him. Myself, I'm a red head with bushy eyebrows and emerald green eyes too. I'm dressed in a white shirt and blue combat trousers with big black boots. I have a rifle strapped to my back. I had been at the shooting range at the time of the chaos.

"Ian?" Peter says timidly from the corner of the van, we're hiding out in. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Peter…" I say, kneeling next to him, taking him into my arms. "Don't worry about me, 'kay?" Peter nods into my shoulder. Since the chaos started, I had been trying to get back to Arthur to at least let him take care of Peter.

I'm not a good brother. I'll make him see something horrible, I just know it. But I can't do anything now except search for Arthur. I know Arthur would probably search for a way out of the UK so that meant an airport; but which one?

Moans sound through the walls of the van and I realize my kick to the wall was louder than I thought. "Fuck," I curse, pulling Peter up into my arms. "Hold on, close your eyes and don't scream." He does this and I push open the back door lightly. One 'zombie' falls over after the door hitting it in the face. I jump out, landing on my feet soundlessly. I bend over slowly and pick up a rock. I throw the rock into the van and the sound rings throughout.

The 'zombies' start stumbling over one another to get closer to the sound; thinking it is a human. I turn and run. Run, run, run; that's our life now, and it will be unless this disease is cured or I die. I hope it's not the latter. If it's the latter for me, please… please don't let it be the same for Peter. Let Peter live. Let Peter escape this Hell.

I run on and on, heading for the closest airport. It's the only airport taking and sending out flights; Heathrow airport.

Matthew

* * *

Canada

* * *

I stare at the cracked mirror. My blonde hair reminds me of _him._ My sky blue eyes remind me of _him. _My glasses remind me of _him. _I sigh, my awkward curl bouncing. It had been a few weeks since my twin had gone to England to meet Arthur, but right afterwards, this chaos started. I had to get to England. My name's Matthew Williams. Our surnames are different only because of our parents' split when we were younger. That's also another reason why I live in Canada and Alfred lives in the USA. But recently, over the past year, we'd been meeting up in either country or emailing or video chatting. We'd gotten really close recently. So I have to go to England. I don't care if I die from the disease, I won't let him die without his twin.

I pack my stuff quickly and lift my suitcase down the stairs. The other residents look at me funnily. No one is leaving Canada because it's uninfected. But I'm different. If I leave, I can't get back in. That's it for me, and that's what I've decided. I'm never coming back.

Gilbert - with Ludwig, Roderich, Elizaveta, Vladmir, Vash and Lilli

* * *

Prussia - with Germany, Hungary, Romania, Switzerland and Liechtenstein

* * *

I pull on a black long sleeved shirt and then put on my sunglasses then look in the mirror. I look at my white albino hair then through my sunglasses at my pinkish red eyes. At a time like this, being an albino is inconvenient. For 24 years, I've been an albino and I've never found it difficult, but now…

"Big brother?" I hear Ludwig say through the door. "We got to hurry."

"Ja, I'll be out soon," I say, looking over myself again. Ludwig had been smart and called over our older brother, Roderich, and his wife, Elizaveta, and then a close family friend, Vash Zwingli, and Vash took his little sister, Lilli. Elizaveta had also taken Vladmir Cinca with her; a very odd name, but the guy's Romanian, can't blame him, I guess.

I take another look in the mirror at my blue jeans, black shirt and black shoes then pull on a pair of blue gloves and a hat before walking out. "Ready to go," I say to my little brother, who is actually taller and fitter than me by far.

My brother, Ludwig Beilschmidt – I'm Gilbert Beilschmidt which sounds so much more awesome – has blonde hair, which isn't slicked back for a change, blue eyes and is wearing combat trousers, big black boots and a black tank top. He's 21, while I'm 24. I have to admit. My little brother is sexy. Too bad has personality's a bit… well, rough.

Roderich approaches us, wearing a suit. He's a famous pianist in Austria but he'd been staying in Germany with Elizaveta recently. He and Elizaveta got married about a year ago and they are a stupid lovey-dovey couple. Roderich's got chocolate brown hair which sits neatly no matter what – which pisses the hell out of me and I don't know why – and his eyes are an unusual violet colour. He's 25, older than me sadly. Elizaveta comes up close behind him. She's beautiful; her hair is a lovely hazelnut brown and her eyes are peridot green and they seem to sparkle. No wonder Roderich married her. She's also wearing a beautiful green dress today. Her hair is hanging loose through a white bandana. She's my age, 24. If I could marry her, I would. I did actually think about it but marriage isn't my thing.

"We should be going," Roderich says. "Gilbert, you look stupid."

"It's not my fault, you know! I still look more awesome than you, prissy-pants," I retort, walking away. I hear Ludwig sigh behind me then follow while Elizaveta laughs at my retort.

I walk out the house and then to the eight-seat car, that Roderich and Elizaveta own, and get in the very back with Ludwig. Vash, 25, is sitting in the middle of the middle row with his younger sister, Lilli, 17. They both have the same hairstyles yet Lilli wears a ribbon to the side of her hair. They're both blonde and green-eyed and both wearing the same green uniform, strapped with a black belt. Vash has a rifle strapped to his back – when doesn't he? – and Lilli has a pistol in a holster. Ludwig and I both have pistols too but I have a secret combat knife hidden between my shoulder blades.

Vladmir gets in next to Vash. Vladmir's 26, the oldest of us. He's got light brown hair and the weirdest sense of style. Even now, he's wearing something like a vampire would wear. Well, he is named after a vampire I guess. He's wearing a purple magician's suit with a short purple cape over his shoulders. Upon his head is a small purple top hat. For being a human, though, he's got some sharp teeth. He really gives me the creeps.

Roderich and Elizaveta finally get in the front and start the car. Roderich has the wheel at the moment. We had decided we're heading to Switzerland from the centre of Germany. Switzerland is the closest place that's uninfected. As long as we get there uninjured, we can go in. But that's the hard part; staying uninjured.

Francoise

* * *

fem!France

* * *

Panic everywhere. As soon as the UK got infected, France was infected almost straight away. It was impossible to prevent. France was a hazard just like the UK and the USA. I run and run, deciding my own option was to head for Switzerland. I live in Paris so, although it's far, I know I can make it. But it'll be hard.

Being alone at a time like this… It'll be difficult. If only. If only I had some family… If only my brother… No, I can't think of stuff like that. I put my seatbelt on and start driving. It's only a small red mini I drive so I hope I don't attract too much attention. I drive for a bit. I hope I don't walk into trouble. Now that _would _be bad.

Lovino – with Antonio, Feliciano, Morgens, Emma, Marcello and Leonardo

* * *

Romano - with Spain, Italy, Holland, Belgium, Serborga and San Marino

* * *

My twin hugs my arm as I close the curtains of the windows and lock the door. My twin and I both turned 18 not long ago. We're both very alike look wise actually. I, Lovino Vargas, have tanned skin, brown eyes and hazel brown hair which all sits neat, except for one bit. My brother, Feliciano Vargas, is a little less tanned than I and his hair is more auburn brown; but we both have a strand of hair that curls up. We're also in matching uniforms for we had been ready for a day of work at the café when the chaos started here in Italy.

Our younger brother, Leonardo Vargas, 16, comes running down the stairs. "Antonio called! He said he's coming here," Leonardo says. I sigh. Leonardo's got my hair colour but he's pale as can be. His eyes are also an unusual violet colour. He's dressed in a pair of jeans and a shirt that he's in the middle of buttoning up.

Our oldest brother comes down not far behind. "Antonio's coming?" he says, pulling a plain white t-shirt over his head. He's also wearing a pair of cream shorts and big brown boots. Marcello, 20, heads over to Feliciano and me and ruffles our hair. "Better change then, trouble's a-brewing." A strange look crosses his face as Feliciano nods and drags me upstairs.

I change into a pair of light brown trousers and a loose black tank top with a pair of black boots while my twin changes into a pair of loose blue trousers, black tank top and a pair of black boots. We head downstairs and sit at a table to wait for Antonio.

A knock comes at the door and I stand up to answer. I open the door and standing there is an extremely tanned, tall guy with brown hair and viridian green eyes. His clothes are almost the exact same as mine except for the pistol in a holster at his waist.

"Antonio Carriedo," I say plainly to him. He smiles and hugs me. "Let go!" I shout, squirming. Antonio's always been strange. Even though I'm 18 and he's 25, he seems to have taken a liking to me. Once out of his arms, I notice the two people behind him. The man, who looks maybe 27, is even taller than Antonio. His light blonde hair stands on end and his pale green eyes seem to stare right through me. He's wearing a big light brown coat with loose cotton trousers and knee high black boots; strange with just that in Italy's weather and just to add to it, he's wearing a blue and white striped scarf.

The lady isn't as weird. She appears maybe 23 or 24. Her hair is a bright ginger, held in place by a red ribbon. Her eyes are a slightly darker shade of green than the man's. She's wearing a knee-length, lilac dress, tied at the waist with a light green sash. She's wearing a green cardigan of the same shade and lilac shoes.

"Who are they?" I ask, standing aside to let them all in.

Antonio walks in first and puts an arm round my shoulders – to my dismay – and points to the man. "That's Morgens Vos. We played football together when we were younger. We're just friends now," Antonio says, smiling away at Morgens. Morgens shrugs back at Antonio and takes a seat. "And this is the lovely Emma Vermeulen," Antonio says, taking Emma by the hand and leading her to a seat.

I look outside quickly for anything and then quickly lock the door and take my seat, next to my twin, again.

It all stays silent for a moment before Marcello speaks up. "We have to get away from this place. We have to find somewhere safe. We can't stay here…" We all look at Marcello and nod. We all know the situation. Although the disease isn't bad here in Italy, it's spreading. People are packing and leaving."

"Switzerland," I say. "That's where everyone else is heading. It must be…" I gulp for a moment. "Pure, as the government would say."

"Leaving straight away would be best," Marcello says and I nod in agreement.

"But…" I hear Antonio say.

"But?" Feliciano inquires.

"But, we need to prepare for the worst. We need weapons, food and first aid stuff," Antonio says, frowning. It's very unlike him to be the sensible one but I guess pressure does that to us.

"So, should we get that and get ready to leave?" Leonardo asks, looking worried. He looks towards the door and I follow his gaze. Suddenly something bangs on the door.

"Help! HELP! H-" The screaming is abruptly cut off and become cries of pain. The noise moves and I run to the door and pull it open. A little girl hovers over the woman, screaming. Blood trails from the girl's mouth as she bites and eats the woman alive. My eyes widen and I try to look away but I can't. My eyes are glued to the scene unfolding before me. The woman then stops moving.

I hear hurried foot steps behind me as the woman stands up slowly and reaches for me; and my feet won't move. Someone pulls me back as the woman's hand grabs thin air and the door slams shut, making the woman's hand crunch. I blink for a moment as a sharp pain goes through my leg. I cry out and see the little girl cutting my leg with a sharp nail; she must have moved right up to me and got pulled in. She's away to bite me when Morgens picks her up and throws her out the window, before closing it again.

"Lovi?" I hear Antonio ask in my ear.

"Did I get the disease?" I ask, worried.

"What?" Antonio says back stupidly.

"No, you didn't," Morgens says. "Her nail was clean, lucky for you. If she'd bitten you, then you would be infected."

I nod back, feeling something wet trail down my face. I'm crying. I'm crying in front of my brothers and stupid Antonio; only it's Antonio I hug. I bury my face in his shoulder. Just the sight of that little girl's face. Her eye was falling out and her arm looked ready to fall off. Some teeth had fallen out but she would still be able to bite. And her leg was bent the wrong way. It was horrible… Just horrible…

"We'll get ready today and leave tomorrow," Antonio says, stroking my head. I hear everyone walk away and Antonio carries me to a chair. "Wait here, Lovi," he says, before rushing to the kitchen. He returns a few moments later with a first aid kit. I'm now trembling and crying and I won't stop. Antonio rubs my shoulder gently and pulls me into another hug. It calms me down a little for me to stop trembling but the tears just won't stop. Antonio kneels down and begins bandaging my leg. He does it in silence so the only sound is my sobbing and some shouting and laughter from upstairs.

"There, all better," Antonio says, standing up. I look down and nod. "Hey, Lovi… Everything will be alright. Antonio's here for you."

I nod again and mutter quietly, "Don't call me Lovi, bastard." Antonio laughs and hugs me again.

"That's my Lovi, and he better not change, 'cause I might cry too if he does," Antonio says; which earns him a punch in the face.

Paulette - with Jack and Daniel

* * *

Wy - with Australia and New Zealand

* * *

Name's Paulette! Paulette Taylor. I'm short – only 12 – chocolate brown haired, hazel eyes and cute! At this moment I'm wearing a pair of sandals, beige shorts, and a white top which doesn't even cover my stomach and has thin straps, with a pink, short sleeved jacket over that! My hair's tied up in a ponytail using a pink ribbon too! But enough about me! Let me tell you a little about the situation. Not that I know much.

But from what I do know is my brother, Jack Taylor, 24, said we got to leave Australia and come to England to find someone. And well, here we are in England. Only Jack took his New Zealand friend too, Daniel Wilson, 22. Jack has the same hair colour and eye colour as me, although his hair's spiky and short and awesome. He's in a weird outfit. It's like a beige shirt and shorts… but in one! With a belt in the middle. He also has these big brown boots and this awesome hat – not that he'll need it in England.

Daniel's a bit more normal, except for the fact he looks like a businessman. He's wearing a white shirt with the top few buttons undone, a pair of smart black trousers and shoes. And a tie, who even wears those? His hair's kind of weird too. It's like this light blonde and it's kind of gelled back but not… His eyes are a pretty green though.

Anyway, we're here in England at the airport; the only one open in England at the moment. I got told there's some disease going around by DNA. And DNA's in our saliva and hair and stuff and our… blood… Well, I got told to be careful and not go close to other people. How am I supposed to transfer blood with someone? Drink their blood? Jeez, brothers are so overprotective. But I have to do as I'm told.

Jack pushes me in front of him as he walks quickly. People look at us strangely as they all queue to leave and we're walking out the door into the chaos they just came from. I wonder just how bad it is. It can't be that bad… can it?

And I'm wrong. We walk out and the cars are all parked squint every where. Some have been crashed into, some still have the doors open and some are even still on. "Jack! Why'd we come here?!" I shout out, turning around and clinging to him.

Jack pets my hair and kneels down, Daniel standing a little away. "We came here to find Arthur and his brothers. You remember Peter right?" I nod, knowing the boy he talks of. "Well, we're here to find and help them." I nod again.

"Wasn't Australia safe?" I ask. "Couldn't we of stayed there?"

"We could have stayed, but it wasn't safe," Jack says, standing up straight. "C'mon. We need to find somewhere safe to spend the night." Daniel and I nod, following Jack to find somewhere safe.

In the end, we find somewhere that is safe, well… a little safe.

Nikolai – with Emil and Mathias

* * *

Norway - with Iceland and Denmark

* * *

Nikolai Bondevik, 20 years old. Blonde hair, lilac eyes, stupid curl of hair that won't stay down. Wearing a sky blue shirt and dark blue tie with black trousers and shoes. Done wondering who I am? Good.

My brother, Emil Bondevik, 17, has silver blonde hair and lavender eyes. He's wearing the same as me except no tie and the shirt's white. Speaking of my brother, he's sitting next to me right now. The two of us live in Norway. And our government just released the news.

"_Citizens of Sweden, Norway and Finland. Our countries are pure, uninfected. We do not have to fear the disease. No one gets in, no one gets out. Denmark and Iceland would be part of this but their countries have been plagued with the disease already. We cannot allow this impureness to enter our country. So, all the borders and coast lines have been sealed…"_

The government keeps speaking but I tune out at that point. Sealed, huh? So we're trapped. What a wonderful way to spend the rest of our lives. I listen to the news again as it explains the known details of the disease.

"…_passed through DNA such as blood or saliva. Biting is the main way. The disease also increases the thirst for blood. It was thought it may slow down movements but all evidence shows that it only makes people rely on instinct alone, therefore speed is unaffected…"_

It continues on. I already know all that. I looked it up yesterday. This country, pure? I highly doubt it since the UK has it so bad. We probably got it and don't know it.

"This is so stupid," I mutter. Emil looks over to me from his side of the sofa.

"Nik, do you think we're really safe?" he asks, looking a bit worried, most likely trying to read my face's emotionless expression.

"No, I don't. Not being so close to the UK," I reply, not caring if I hurt him. He deserves to know the truth.

"Oh," he says, despair dripping from his voice.

"If the disease _is_ here, then we'll just be trapped in Norway. They won't unseal the borders. Meaning we need to head to Finland, and get into Russia, or go south and cross to Denmark," I say, knowing that neither way is possible. We really are trapped.

"But they'll be patrolling the waters between Norway, Sweden and Denmark right? And Russia's almost as bad as Japan right?" Emil says, proud of his knowledge, sad for their lack of options.

"Correct, meaning we just have to survive until they realize we need to get out of here. And who knows when that'll be?" I say, standing. "But, you know what they say."

"What?" Emil asks innocently.

"There's safety in numbers. Let's go see Mathias, he'll help," I say, grabbing my coat and throwing Emil's over to him.

With a 10 minute walk, we're at Mathias's. Mathias doesn't answer the door but we hear noise from inside. We both hear a girl's voice say, "Oh, Mathias Jensen… It seems we have a guest," followed by an evil giggle. Stumbling foot steps are heard and Mathias finally gets the door open. Mathias is a bit older than I; he's 22. He has spiky blonde hair and ice blue eyes. He's in the normal red shirt, black dress trousers and black shoes. His shirt though is undone by many buttons and his black tie is slung round his neck.

"Mathias, at a time like this, and you're drinking with a girl?!" I shout out, annoyed.

"Jealous are we, Nikky?" Mathias says, smirking. I bite my lip to stop myself from shouting at him and barge past.

"You do realize the world is plagued with a disease right?!" I say, trying to keep the tone down. The girl he was with seems to have heard me shouting and is over to see what's up. She's tall and skinny with waist length white hair, clearly dyed. Her eyes are an unusual pink colour with some hints of red. She has a cross shaped scar on her right cheek. She's in a short white skirt and a black tank top. I notice her black boots are sitting by the door.

"Why hello there. Short guy, you do realize, Norway is pure? Free from the disease?" she says, smiling innocently.

"I don't trust what the government said. I doubt we're uninfected," I say, giving her a slight glare.

"Well, that's your choice," she says, glaring right back at me. She walks forward to tower over me, taking advantage of my height.

"Who are you, anyway?" I hear Emil say pulling me back. He smiles sweetly at her.

"Vanessa*. Vanessa Schulze. 23 years old, if you really want to know," she answers, smiling sweetly at my brother before glaring at me again.

* * *

fem!Prussia*

* * *

Mathias pushes the two of us apart and grins. "Now, now, get along. Nikky, if something happens, you know I'll protect your brother and you, 'kay?"

"I don't need you to protect me or my brother, it's just safety in numbers," I say. Vanessa laughs.

"Unless two of them have a… disagreement and someone ends up murdered," she says, giggling.

"I would never murder someone," I say, turning away from her.

"Who said you were doing the murdering?" She smiles evilly.

"Mathias, I'm heading to the guest room. Emil, c'mon," I say, walking away from the two of them. Looks like it's going to be a long stay… Just to make things worse, we never know when the disease might actually break out. We might not be prepared.

Taika – with Berwald and Hanatamago

* * *

fem!Finland - with Sweden and Hanatamago

* * *

"Taika, dear?" I hear my husband, Berwald Oxenstierna, call to me. I'm standing in the kitchen, with Hanatamago, my dog, running around my feet. She's a white fluffy dog with floppy ears. I run through to the living room, with mine and Berwald's coffee.

"Yes, dear?" I say, as Hanatamago, circles my feet. Berwald's really tall compared to me. He's got blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes, framed by some black glasses. He's in a shirt and pair of trousers at the moment, his shoes sitting at the door. I've got long pale blonde hair, tied in two plaits at the moment. I'm wearing a simple purple dress with flower designs at the hem. My eyes are kind of an odd blue with purple.

"More news on the disease," he says plainly. I quickly put down the two cups of coffee and take a seat next to him.

"_Citizens of Sweden, Norway and Finland. Our countries are pure, uninfected. We do not have to fear the disease. No one gets in, no one gets out. Denmark and Iceland would be part of this but their countries have been plagued with the disease already. We cannot allow this impureness to enter our country. So, all the borders and coast lines have been sealed…"_

"Sealed?" I question.

"Meaning we're trapped. People are going to react badly to this. It's obvious they are," Berwald says, putting his arm around my shoulders.

"Trapped… People won't handle the pressure of being confined… right?" I ask.

"Exactly. The sealed borders may keep the disease out but insane citizens are a worse and more dangerous problem," Berwald says, rubbing my shoulder. I lean into him, resting my head on his shoulder.

"So, we're actually making more danger for ourselves? Well… That was smart of the governments," I say, giggling a little without emotion.

"I just hope they unseal the borders soon. We're not in a particularly safe place," Berwald says, looking to the news again. It had explained the disease and is now onto the diseased countries.

"_The United States of America, United Kingdom, Spain, France and Germany are just some of the few countries to have the disease. It's already known Iceland and Denmark have been hit badly. Russia and Japan are the worst off. Hardly any country is safe. The only known countries to be safe are Sweden, Finland, Norway and Switzerland. Where else is safe, is unknown. Canada is also thought to be free from disease…"_

I glance out the window. Berwald and I live in Finland, close to the border of Russia. Maybe the disease… slipped past before the borders were sealed.

Berwald speaks up, "You're thinking the disease might be here, right?" I jump a little and nod. "And you might be right. We'll just have to be careful. Let's just go on as normal and wait for more news, okay?"

"Okay, my dear," I answer.

Jia Long - with Erawan, Hoa and Deven

* * *

Hong Kong - with Thailand, Viet Nam and India

* * *

I hold my knees to my chest as noise sounds all around me. Erawan Yunram puts his arm round me and pulls me close into his arms. His glasses slide down his nose, his black, spiky hair flopping forward. He takes me by the shoulders and looks into my hazel brown eyes with his ice blue ones. "Jia Long. Everything will be alright, got it?" I nod in reply as he stands up.

At the start of all this, there was Erawan Yunram, 23, Hoa Nguyen, 22, Yao Wang, 25, and me, 19. But Erawan, Hoa and I got separated from Yao in the chaos and saved by someone called Deven Sharma, 24. It was lucky. If he hadn't been there, I would be dead.

Erawan's once new white shirt, black trousers and shoes are now all ruined; torn and covered in blood. Hoa is wearing a green dress with cotton trousers underneath and black slip-on shoes. Her clothes are also ruined. She's got long black hair pulled into a ponytail at the back and she has beautiful brown eyes. Deven's a bit odd. He's dressed in a black suit, including a tie. When he saved us, he was wearing black sunglasses which got broken in the fight. His suit is also torn and blood covered so he's removed the jacket. He told us he was visiting Japan from India. Yes, we're in Japan; one of the places the disease is at its worst.

I hear a gunshot and cover my ears again, ducking my head down, allowing my dark brown hair fall forward. I stare at the red of my long sleeved tunic. I'm wearing cotton trousers too with black slip-on shoes. I look up and see Hoa looking out the window. We're hiding out in a hotel. It had been the only secure place we could find. The room we're in has been torn apart. The bed is normal but the covers are a different matter. They've been scratched up and torn apart and thrown across the room, same with the feather pillows. The table is lying on its side, scratch marks covering the top. The bathroom is messed up and the tiles there have been smashed. Blood covers the walls of the two rooms too. But it's safe. We've cleaned up what we can and I'm now hiding next to the bed.

Hoa stands out on the balcony and her rifle hanging by her side. She aims it and shoots. Another loud bang and again I cover my ears. I hate this noise. I want out. I want out of Japan, out of this Hell. I hear Erawan and Deven talking again. I don't listen. I don't want anything to do with this chaos, I just want out. I clench my eyes shut tightly and block out all noise.

This place is horrible. What did we do to deserve this? What did the world do? Is this the world's way of getting revenge for how we treat it? Or maybe it's God? Just tell us. What did we do wrong? Why do we deserve this? Is there-

"Jia Long," I hear after a hand placing itself on my shoulder. I look up to see Deven, looking worried. "You alright?"

I want out. "I'm fine," I reply.

"You look pale Jia…" he says, placing the back of his hand on my forehead.

We're not going to live. "I might just be ill 'cause of the pressure…"

"That's not good. Well, you'll survive," Deven says, smiling.

No, we won't. "Yeah, I will."

"We're just going to stay here till tomorrow. No point moving. It's close to night. How about you lie down and get some rest?"

Sleep is what I fear now. "Okay. I will."

Kiku – with Yao, Mei Mei and Yong Soo

* * *

Japan - with China, Taiwan and South Korea

* * *

Yao continues pacing back and forth in the bus. He had told us that his name was Yao Wang, 25 years old, and that he had been with three other people but got separated. He's wearing a Chinese style red tunic with cotton trousers and black slip-on shoes. He has long dark brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and honey brown eyes. It appears he had only been visiting Japan when this happened.

I, myself, live in Japan. My name's Kiku Honda. I'm 23 years old. I have black hair in a bob and hazel brown eyes. At the moment, I'm wearing my uniform. It's completely white with gold lining. I also have a black belt and black boots on. On my waist, I have a traditional katana that has been passed down my family. I used it for the first time this morning, protecting Yao.

Mei Mei _, my girlfriend, comes over from the back of the bus and sits next to me. She's originally from Taiwan. She's 22 years old. She's got very long dark brown hair, almost black, and the most beautiful chocolate brown eyes. She's wearing a flowing pink dress with sleeves that go over her hands. The sleeves gradually turn white just like the bottom of the dress. There are also some faint flower patterns around the hem. "Kiku? You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I say. I glance to Yao again and then the back of the bus before looking at Mei Mei. "How's Yong Soo doing?" Mei Mei looks away.

My friend, Yong Soo _, had been injured badly. We had been running when something attacked him. He's 24 so he said "As the oldest, not including Yao, I have to protect you, so I'll go at the rear." It was the biggest mistake we made. I had been at the head of the group, with Mei Mei behind me then Yao, with Yong Soo at the back.

We had stopped for a moment. We hadn't expected those infected to be able to move so quickly. A corpse near by had looked like it wouldn't get up. We didn't take two looks. It stood up as we passed and it had grabbed Yong Soo. It had scarred him bad on his back. Yao had grabbed anything and hit the 'zombie'. We had been lucky. And now Yong Soo is ill. That had only been about half an hour ago. We were worried the disease had infected him. But half an hour is a big enough time period right?

Wrong. There's movement from the back of the bus suddenly. Yao freezes and pivots round. "Yong Soo?" he says. I stand up quickly, along with Mei Mei. Yong Soo is now standing but he's hunched over, his head flopped forward. His floppy black hair sways with him. His head lifts a little. I see his brown eyes; except they're not brown, they're white. He takes one shaky step forward and Mei Mei screams. My friend is one of them now.

I gently push past Mei Mei and then Yao and walk towards what used to be Yong Soo. My foot steps make little sounds on the metal of the bus. It looks towards the noise and suddenly charges. I tell myself, that is not Yong Soo. I draw my katana. It gets close, its arms reaching out to me. I lift my katana above my head and then strike down. It falls to the ground. I lift my foot and stamp down. I hear a crack and a crunch. I feel the bone and mush below my foot. I look away. Mei Mei has her eyes covered. Yao seems to have no idea how to react, whether he should look away or something. He just stares.

I lift my foot and stand back. I don't look at the mess I just made. I sheathe my katana before wrapping my arms round Mei Mei. I make comforting sounds in her ear. I hear Yao shift behind me. He places a hand on my hand and then mutters, "Sorry." Then walks past us and sits in the driver's seat at the front.

I continue hugging Mei Mei till her sobs quiet down and then I turn her to face the front of the bus. We walk to the front and look to Yao.

He looks up at Mei Mei and me and says, "You do realize we'll probably never live."

I nod in reply. "But we can try."

"Yes. Yes, we can," Yao says, getting up and walking out the bus first. I let Mei Mei go ahead of me. I look back finally at the mess I made and feel like vomiting. I just killed someone; someone who used to be my friend. I turn away and hurry off the bus.

And together we run. I run to protect Mei Mei. I hoped to marry her before this started. Yao runs to find his friends. But together we run to survive.


	3. I can't get out

**Day Two – 29th of July**

Arthur – Alfred and Rose

After a night's rest, I feel much better. Yesterday we found new clothes for Rose; a pair of light blue jeans and a large red shirt. The shirt is a bit big for her so she's wearing a flesh coloured vest top underneath.

Rose is sleeping near the window still. Alfred is by the door. I stretch my arms and head to Alfred. He moves in his sleep and calls out something.

"Amelia… You can't…" he mutters. I shift his hair, worried. Although he hasn't said anything since I told him his sister's dead, he's been mentioning her in his sleep; and then pretending he never did. He suddenly lurches forward, shouting. "Amelia!"

He blinks and then looks up at me, tears in his eyes. I smile and wrap my arms round him. That's it for him; he's put up with knowing his sister is dead long enough. I knew he was close to his sister, unlike my brothers and me.

"Artie… She's not coming back…" he sobs into my shoulder, hugging me back tightly. "I told her not to go and live with Astrid yet she did… Now look what happened…"

"No one could know that this was to happen, Alfred. No one," I say, rubbing his back. He continues sobbing as I hear movement behind me.

I hear the foot steps walk towards us. I look up; Alfred appears to be too distraught to notice. Rose is standing there. She nods and heads out the room, opening and closing the door silently.

"Alfred," I say, pulling away a little. "We have to stay strong if we want out of here. We have to stay strong for each other and Rose. We will survive."

Alfred looks at me and nods slowly. "Yes… Okay, I get it. We just have to survive."

"Yes, survive," I say, smiling a little.

But surviving is the hard part. And what's harder is stopping people from losing their minds. Alfred could easily go insane from his sister's death… Matthew… Matthew has to get here soon.

I stand up and offer my hand to Alfred. He takes it and pulls himself up. We walk out the classroom and Rose is leaning against the wall, opposite the door.

"Done?" she asks; a slight worried look on her face.

I nod and then say, "We need to search for food. Alfred had the last of our food rations two days ago." I hadn't had food for three days and it's starting to affect my balance and vision but no point telling them that. It would just cause unnecessary worry.

We all make our way out the building and Alfred takes the lead. Rose and I walk a little behind. I feel my steps wobbling a little and I can't see straight either.

Rose, in a quiet voice, asks me, "You look pale. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I lie. I stumble over my feet suddenly and Rose catches me before I make a sound that would alert Alfred. "You haven't eaten, have you? You've been wobbling all over the place for a while."

I sigh and look to her, standing straight with difficulty. "No, I haven't. Three days now."

Rose takes off the backpack from her bag and starts rummaging inside; we found the bag in a classroom while searching for clothes. Rose had put some of her stuff in it, along with some of mine and Alfred's, and offered to take it as I had my bow and arrow and Alfred had his chain saw and pistol. Rose had said that she wasn't fit to fight 'zombies' without a weapon; she knows hand-to-hand combat and knows how to handle a sword but fists and feet don't smash in one of 'their' heads and we don't have a sword.

Rose then pulls out half of a chocolate bar. "Here. I had it when I was running." I look at her and she nods. I take the chocolate bar and wolf it down, trying to make as little mess as possible; it had melted a bit in the bag.

"Thank you, Rose," I say, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. She smiles back as we continue walking behind Alfred.

"Artie, you think we can travel faster on motorbikes?" Alfred suddenly asks and stops, pointing to a couple of abandoned motorbikes.

"They'd be noisy, Alfred," I say. "We can't risk attracting 'them'."

"But motorbikes are fast. Faster than 'they' are, Artie." Alfred goes over to them to find the keys still there.

I look around at our new location. We're in a neighbourhood, not far from my own house actually. Alfred had led us back towards mine. Across the entire street, cars are abandoned, tipped and ruined. Some are covered in blood. For being in chaos, the streets are quiet. Maybe 'they' are smart enough to hunt the survivours in packs…

"Did you lead us here on purpose, Al?" I ask.

"Yeah, I knew you'd probably have some food in your house," he says, lifting one of the motorbikes up. And what he said is true. I had just stocked up on food, before Alfred came over from the USA. He's a big eater so I find it hard to keep food in the house when he comes round. "Lead the way Artie, I'll find some fuel for these motorbikes… Rose, go with him, I'll meet you both there. You got thirty minutes, 'kay?"

"Okay," I say, running off, Rose behind. We quickly arrive there, out of breath. We got twenty-five minutes now.

I look at my house that I haven't seen in weeks. The airport is a fair distance from my house; about an hour's walking time. It's a big mansion really, with a big garden at the front and back. I tend not to stay in it often because it gets lonely living in a big house on your own; with just your twelve year old brother for company. I notice a lot of the windows on the first floor have been smashed, as well as the door being kicked in. My house has been raided. Great.

Rose gives a little laugh from behind me, "Nice house."

"Not at all. It was too big and quiet for me. That's why Alfred visited so often," I say, walking up the path quickly.

Rose matches my quick pace. "Are you two a couple?" she asks, just a tad curious I guess.

"No, no!" I say panicked. "We're just friends. We met when I was 18, he was 16. I had gone to the USA on my own, since my mother had passed away."

"What about your father?" she asks as we reach the front door.

"He was arrested just before Peter was born. Twelve years now," I say, pushing the broken door out of the way and walking in. I try the light switch but the light bulb just flickers a couple of times and then explodes. I sigh.

"What happened in the USA? How did you meet Alfred?"

"We met at a party. The party was celebrating the fourth of July. People were being paired together; age and gender didn't matter. Everyone was just dancing. Alfred and I just happened to get paired together," I say, looking in the kitchen. The rooms are so dark; I'm finding it hard to see where I'm going. I open the cupboards but come up empty handed.

"And you liked one another's company?"

"Yes, we talked a bit while dancing. I was confused so he explained what was going on. We then talked a bit about ourselves and got to know one another. So we decided to become pen pals. When he turned eighteen, he started visiting me in England as part of his job." I get back up and head to the stairs, lifting up one of the planks. I pull out a set of keys and replace the plank before heading to a door under the stairs.

"What did he work as?"

"A freelance photographer and journalist." I unlock the door and head down the stairs quickly to my basement. I flick the light switch and it works this time. It flickers a couple of times but it works. I look around and sure enough, there are a couple of boxes of food.

"So, he came to England and wrote about it and took photographs?"

"Yes, he also visited my brother, Ian, who lived in Scotland at the time. About three months ago, he moved back in with me. He had moved to live with his girlfriend, but their relationship went downhill after he proposed to her. He found out she had been a little unfaithful. I think her name was Francoise?" I say, pulling out some food.

Rose freezes behind me and stutters, "F-Francoise? A-are you sure? Francoise B-Bonnefoy?"

"Yes, that's it," I say.

"I knew her… I know who that is!" Rose shouts out suddenly. A thud comes from upstairs.

"Uh oh… What was that…?" I say, worried. Rose quickly packs some of the food into her bag, as much as she can.

"I don't know… I'm scared to know." Rose and I slowly walk up the stairs and stand by the door to the basement, not exiting.

Another thud, a trickle of blood leaks through the bottom of the door and drips on my shoes. I look at Rose as her face pales. I push open the door a little, slowly and look a bit; nothing.

I push the door open completely. Another thud and I turn to my right to see one of 'them' coming for me. I take a step back but it grabs my shoulder, trying to pull me to it. I pull back as hard as I can. Rose grabs me round my stomach and pulls me back too. Its nails dig into my shoulder and cause it to bleed, till I fall back and the scratches extend over my shoulder. Rose and I lose our footing and fall back down the stairs. I pull Rose out from behind me and pull her into my arms so I don't fall on her, but she falls on me. I fall on my back with a massive thud and cry out in pain.

The 'zombie' walks down the stairs clumsily. Rose quickly gets up and helps me up, but I stumble over slightly, my back in a pain. We try to back away from the 'zombie' as we stumble down the second set of steps. A shot goes off. Its head bursts slightly before it falls forward, dead. Alfred stands at the top, panting.

"You alright, Artie?" he says. "Rose?"

"Yeah, we're good," Rose says, sighing out of relief.

That's the last thing I heard before pain seared through my back and darkness took my sight and the world went quiet.

_The thuds sounded through the room, loud and clear. Alfred was asleep. I was on guard. I pulled my knees up to my chest and close my eyes tight. Go away… Leave us alone… Thud, thud… Go away… LEAVE US ALONE! I scream and the door collapses to the floor, snapping in half. I stand up quickly and stumble backwards, noise resounding through the room again. They come in; in hordes and masses. No escape. Alfred, wake up. Alfred! Wake up! But he won't wake, the infection has taken him. His body starts moving, rigidly. He moves towards me, blood pouring out his mouth. Alfred… no… I CAN'T DO THIS ALONE! What used to be Alfred grabs me and I can't do anything… I just can't…_

"AH!" I scream, sitting up suddenly. Pain rips through my back and I feel tears start pouring down my face. A pair of hands pushes me back into a lying position. I hear hurried foot steps. I open my eyes, looking around but the pain and some blood from my forehead is blurring my vision. I thrash around against the hands holding me by the shoulders. Second pair of hands grabs my feet to stop me kicking.

"Arthur, calm down!" I hear a female's voice shout; but I can't do as it says. Panic and fear is pushing me into insanity. I'm drowning in it; and I can't swim out.

"Artie!" A male's voice shouts. I try to see who it is at my feet but they're so blurred it's impossible.

Darkness starts to claim my world once more as my arms and legs go limp. The last thing I hear is someone shouting "Artie".

Ian – with Peter

I hold Peter on my back and duck from alleyway to alleyway. The streets of London are crawling with 'zombies'. Just to make things worse, Peter is starting to get frightened; making it hard to keep him quiet. I duck into a doorway as a small pack of 'them' stumble past. As they just pass, Peter lets out a sob; quiet but 'they' hear it.

I run; as fast as I can, not caring that my foot steps are making sound. Slowly, a bigger pack gathers, chasing Peter and I. At this rate, all Arthur is going to find is our dead bodies.

No. I can't think like that. I'll get Peter to Arthur, no matter what. With these thoughts, I run faster, pushing past my limits. I head in the direction of the airport.

When BANG! A 'zombie' falls down dead behind us. Another shot and another 'zombie'. More shots start firing faster as the 'zombies' try to move the sound. But finally, they all end up dead. I turn to look who just saved my life.

"Yo, Ian," I hear a familiar, Australian voice say, followed by a loud and equally Australian "Hey," and a quiet voice, that belongs to a New Zealander, say "Hello."

I laugh and grin. "Fancy seeing you three here."

Paulette – with Jack and Daniel

I jump down off the small mound of dirt Jack and Daniel were shooting 'them' from and run to the Scot, Ian. "Peter!" I shout though, recognizing the boy on his back.

Peter looks up and stares at me, not recognizing me straight away. But as he slowly realizes, a grin spreads across his face. "Paulette!" He slides off Ian's back and runs towards me. We embrace each other in a warm hug and then he ruffles my hair. "I'm taller than you now," Peter says, grinning. He pulls me into another hug as I laugh.

"I missed you, Peter!" I shout, poking his nose. We giggle and hug for a third time.

Ian – with Peter, Paulette, Jack and Daniel

The two little ones noisy greetings start alerting more of 'them'. "Shit. Jack, Daniel," I say, pointing to the stumbling enemies.

Jack curses as well, as Daniel raises his gun. I put a hand on his rifle. "The shot will alert them-" A shadow looms over us and enlarges more and more as it gets closer. I look up quickly to see one of 'them' jumping down upon us. I grab Daniel and throw him out the way and I jump towards him. Jack grabs the two children and jumps the other way, holding them both.

The 'zombie' lands loudly on its feet, attracting even more of 'them'. The moans start getting louder as the pack grows around us. Most are attracted to the 'zombie' between Jack and me. Soon, they are impassable and I can't get to Jack.

I step back and shout quickly, "Run Jack! Head to the airport!" I hear him shout an agreement before he runs. I grab Daniel up onto his feet and pull him behind me, away from 'them'. 'They' follow quickly, most appearing to be teenagers. Each and every one of 'them' has broken limbs and bleeding all over; wounds covering their bodies completely.

"Run, Daniel!" I shout, tripping over my own feet, trying to keep my balance. Fear and sorrow cloud my mind. Peter isn't with me. That's all that's going through my mind. I've failed Arthur. That's my next thought. I look down at my feet for a quick moment and then look back up. Blood, rotten flesh and death stares me in the face. Its mouth opens to bite me but I'm suddenly pulled to the side.

"C'mon!" I hear Daniel say in my ear. He pulls me back up straight. I turn on my heel and run by Daniel's side. The look crossing his face is a look of pure sorrow. The sorrow is completely blocking his fear. No doubt he's worried about Jack and Paulette…

I hear the foot steps close in behind us again and I push myself harder to run faster. Daniel's breathing starts speeding up next to me and I glance over quickly. He doesn't look good. His breathing's uneven; his running pace is starting to slow; his head bowed down. He starts falling behind me, and I reach behind me and grab his arm, pulling him with me. I feel him stumble but drag him to his feet.

I don't pay attention to where we heading, just trying to concentrate on escape and safety. I stop suddenly, my hand still holding onto Daniel's arm. I feel him double over next to, gasping for air. "Just a bit further, Daniel," I say, patting his back. I look about quickly. I took us away from the airport. But at least the 'zombies' hordes are smaller.

The only place about are houses. I run over to a door and kick it in, ushering Daniel in. I drag a cabinet to the door and block it. I double over, panting for a moment until I hear a thud behind me. I turn quickly and Daniel's on the floor. I run over and lift him up into my arms. He's fainted, probably from running. I lift him up onto the sofa and leave him there for a moment, searching for some food and towels.

In a few minutes time, I return to Daniel with a wet towel and a couple of melted chocolate bars, bottles of beer and other junk food that's no use for travelling with. I push his hair out his face and place the wet towel on his forehead. Then I sit down and lean against the sofa before opening a bottle of beer; no point dying of dehydration.

Soon I have another bottle and then think of Peter. Peter… Tears start running down my face and I begin to sob. I lost Peter… Soon, my consciousness starts to slip and I fall onto my side, in a deep sleep.

Paulette – with Jack and Peter

Jack had grabbed both me and Peter. The two of us protested till he told us to shut up and ran. I feel Jack's legs slow down and his grip loosen.

"Jack…?" I say, looking up, frightened. His head is bowed down and he's panting from running.

He quickly turns down a street. The street's road is strewn with cars. One's got its doors open and running but it's empty. He quickly runs over and throws Peter and me into the back.

"Jack!" I shout. Jack closes the door and jumps in the front, quickly taking control. 'They' slowly get closer as I hear the engine of the car make a sound then die.

"Crap!" I hear Jack shout. Peter has pulled his legs up to his chest and is covering his ears and muttering to himself.

I hear the glass behind me smash and I turn around quickly. One of 'them' has smashed it and is reaching in for Peter. He opens his eyes just once and sees it; he screams.

I stay silent and quickly grab the pistol from Jack's belt. Aim and fire… aim and fire… I think to myself and quickly do just that and fire into the thing's head. It slumps, forward. Peter and I push it back out the rear window as the engine kicks into life again. Soon the car is driving away from the horrors.

I turn back to the front and stare at the gun in my hand. Peter is staring at it too. Slowly I gulp and the gun slips from my hand, and tears flow freely down my face. I feel Peter pull me into a hug as I cry. I just shot someone. What was I thinking…?

"They aren't people, Paulette," Jack says suddenly from the front of the car.

"Huh?" is all I can reply with.

"They aren't people. It's alright to kill them. I shouldn't be saying that but these are dangerous times now. Some things must be done," Jack says, glancing back quickly. "You two should sleep. When I find somewhere safe, I'll just carry you two there. You'll need some rest."

Peter and I nod and I lean into Peter as he holds me close. I feel safe and secure…

Francoise

I'm still on the streets, dodging busy places, trying to drive clear of infested places. It's actually quite hard. I mean, especially when you've got 'them' crawling on the roof of your car and 'they' are surrounding your car completely. Oui, I am stuck. What to do… what to do?

I don't get a chance to decide as the front window smashes. I scream as the hand grabs close to me. "Get away!" I scream, edging away from it. "H-help!" But no help comes. I'm all alone. The hand grabs some of my brunette hair. I feel my blue eyes widen in fear. I'm seriously going to die is all I can think.

A second hand smashes through the window to my right. It's not human looking at all. The flesh is crumbling off and the bones are showing through. Blood drips from the tips and open wounds. The small finger is hanging limply as it reaches for me. The smell is horrible. It grabs my face as tears run down my face. It feels so slimy and the flesh is falling off its arm onto my face. I try to scream but some flesh falls in my mouth and I gag on it.

More hands smash through the glass as I feel panic build up in my mind. I can't scream… I can't get out… I hear shots fire off as eyes go dim and my mind goes blank.

Lovino - with Antonio, Feliciano, Morgens, Emma, Marcello and Leonardo

I wake up in a moving car. My head's leaning against the window. I sit up and notice I'm in Antonio's car. I look to the driver's seat next to me to see the owner.

"My Lovi's awake! Nice sleep, Lovi?" he says, happily.

"My leg still hurts but otherwise, yeah," I say, sitting up. I sit in the back and look at the seats behind us. Feliciano is sleeping on one of Marcello's shoulders while Leonardo is on the other. Behind them, with their backs to us, are Emma and Morgens.

I know he called me Lovi but right now I don't feel like bickering with him. My leg hurts and my back is strained the wrong way. I look out the window of Antonio's car; it can take eight people. He does have another car but clearly it wouldn't be suitable for the amount of people.

"What time is it Antonio?" I ask, looking to him.

"It's coming up for twelve now. We're going to stop somewhere safe and get something to eat. It shouldn't be too hard as we're now in North Italy. Hopefully it'll just take a few more days to get to Switzerland. Maybe two I think?" Antonio then stops talking about our plans and changes the topic to the music that's playing from the stereo. He's put a silly 'Lady Gaga' CD in. He's also singing along with some of the songs.

Finally we stop. I jump out the car first and open the door where Feliciano's sitting. I nudge him awake and he sleepily gets out the car. Marcello gets up after Feliciano, leaving Leonardo asleep for the moment. Emma and Morgens get out the back and quickly go for the food. They set up a small picnic near the car on the grass. We've stopped in an empty park. It's kind of depressing because it's so empty and quiet.

I walk round to Leonardo's side and shake him a little. "Leo, wake up," I say gently. My brothers may annoy me but now's not the time to be grumpy as Antonio would say. Leonardo finally gets on the car but he leans against me, still half-asleep. I sigh and sit him on the blanket. Finally we're all sitting down, ready to eat. I look around the park and sigh.

"Lovino?" I hear Antonio say from my side. "Something wrong?"

"It's just… so quiet," I say, frowning. Feliciano is now bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on my other side, eating happily. Marcello is sitting next to Feliciano, eating slowly. Leonardo's leaning against Marcello but he's eating too, be it sleepily. Emma is sitting on Leonardo's other side while Morgens is between her and Antonio.

"Italy… once a beautiful place bursting with life," Emma says sadly, eating at a steady pace.

"It'll be beautiful again!" Feliciano says happily.

"I sure hope so," Antonio and I both say at the same time.

Marcello gives a small laugh. All of us soon finish. Antonio takes me away down a small path through a garden, while everyone else stays behind.

"Lovi, are you alright?" he asks, a worried look crossing his face.

"I'm fine, Antonio…" I look down a little, embarrassed. Antonio rubs my shoulder gently and pulls me close. I feel my face go a little red.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you," Antonio says. I sigh and hug him back.

Suddenly Emma's voice pierces the silence, calling, "Toni! Toni! Hurry back!" Antonio and I let go of one another and quickly rub back. Antonio easily runs ahead while I trail behind, limping a little.

I hear a gunshot and then a car drive off. I finally catch up. Antonio is kneeling on the ground and Morgens is lying on his knees. Emma is standing back, shaking. Feliciano and Leonardo are both hugging Marcello. I look from each person and hurry over to Antonio and Morgens.

"M-Morgens?" I stutter out. Morgens's face keeps a straight expression but a pained look crosses his eyes. His chest is bleeding badly and Antonio can't stop it. He's trying not to cry but some tears are escaping.

I kneel down next to them and help with the bleeding but Morgens pushes our hands away. "There's no… point," Morgens says. His breathing hitches a little.

"Morgens…" Antonio says, worry dripping from his voice. I watch Antonio carefully as Morgens breathing finally stops along with his heart; death by blood loss, probably better than death by the infection.

Antonio stands up tall and wipes his tears. I stand up as well. "We should go," he says. "It's going to take at least four days now I think. That means, keeping quiet and taking cover and resting when we can."

The rest of us nod and Antonio walks away, leaving Morgens's body on the ground. Emma, Marcello, Leonardo and I all run to keep up. Emma, Marcello, Feliciano and Leonardo trail behind a little so I catch up and walk next to Antonio.

"Antonio…?" I say quietly. He stops suddenly and I stop too. He begins trembling and tears begin to fall. I wrap my arms round him and he puts his round me too. "It's alright…"

He sobs into my shoulder. Emma, Marcello, Feliciano and Leonardo pass. Emma whispers in my ear, saying that they'll go ahead. They go on ahead and I rub Antonio's back gently, trying to calm him down.

"Antonio, we need to-" I begin to say.

"No, Lovi. I need to say this," Antonio stands up straight. "Before one of us die, I have to tell you."

"Antonio…?" I say, confused. His hands slide down from my back and take my hands in his.

"I thought you were cute, Lovi. I've liked you since I first saw you. Lovi, I think I love you and I-" I cut him off there by kissing him. He kisses back straight away, pulling me closer. After a few moments, I pull away.

"We should catch up," I say, looking away, going red.

Antonio nods and we catch up. Now we have to start the long walk to Switzerland; a long dangerous walk that is.

We walk for ages and slowly we all start to tire but Antonio continues on strong. The rest of us finally can't keep up.

"Antonio, we need to rest…" I say, stumbling over my own feet. Feliciano grabs my arm and holds me up straight. He's wobbling a little himself.

"Okay," Antonio says, turning around. "I'll look for somewhere. Stay here." Antonio runs off to find somewhere safe.

I fall to my knees, my legs finally getting a rest from all the walking. My twin hugs me. Marcello and Leonardo walk over too; Leonardo's leaning against Marcello for support. Emma seems to be in a daze, her eyes look sad and unresponsive.

Finally Antonio comes back. "I found somewhere. We can stay the night if need be but we'll have to have someone keep watch." He walks over and helps me up, with Feliciano. All of us make our way there. By the time we get there, my leg has started bleeding again.

We find ourselves in a small warehouse. It's being ruined and ransacked already. The disease is escalating people's madness already. Antonio rests me against the wall and waits for Leonardo, Marcello and Emma to get in before locking the door and barricading it. He then runs off it the darkness, towards the back of the warehouse. Feliciano kneels beside me.

"Lovino, you'll be alright won't you?" He asks, worry crossing his stupid face.

"Yes, idiot, I will," I say, wincing in pain because of my leg.

"I'm not an idiot!" he pouts.

"Yes, you are," I simply say.

"You're a mean brother, Lovino," Feliciano says.

"Would I be Lovino, if I wasn't?" I reply, raising an eyebrow at him questioningly.

"Nope!" Feliciano says before hugging me tightly; so tight I can barely breathe, but someone walks up behind Feliciano.

"Feli, I don't think Lovi can breathe," I hear Antonio say, kneeling down and separating Feliciano from me. "I picked up some pain killers Lovi, and I found a tap at the back of the warehouse. I don't know how clean the water is, though." Antonio hands me a glass of water and a couple of pain killers. I quickly swallow the pain killers before taking a sip of water… to then spit the water back out. Good thing I had already swallowed the pain killers.

"Ew… This tastes vile," I say, handing the glass back to Antonio.

"Ah, sorry, Lovi," Antonio says, smiling. "We'll just have to use the water we took then. Although there's not much left."

"… I'll drink that vile stuff… Better than running out of water, but only if everyone else does too," I say, realizing that we are going to have to be careful. I take the glass of water back from Antonio.

"Lovi, I'll be right back, okay? I'm just going to go get the first aid kit off Emma. She was the only one who had one on her. The rest were in the car…" Antonio's voice trails off as he walks into the darkness to get Emma. I had noticed Emma, Marcello and Leonardo had all gone into the darkness; probably to set somewhere up to sleep and to build a campfire or something; saying that, I also notice that it's getting dark outside. The sun's setting so we still have some light but this warehouse blocks most of it. A draught blows through the holes in the walls and I shiver once.

I sit, looking up at the roof when I feel something heavy rest upon my left shoulder. I look over to see Feliciano, asleep. I sigh and wrap an arm round him, so he doesn't get cold. I hear foot steps and I look up to see Antonio, grinning. "I got bandages!" he says loudly.

"Quiet, you idiot," I hiss at him quietly. "Feliciano's sleeping."

"Oh, sorry," Antonio says, his grin faltering. He kneels next to me and smiles. He lifts my trouser leg and takes off my blood soaked bandages. He pulls out a small packet out his pocket and rips it out. He pulls out the wipe and cleans up my wound as best as possible. I wince a little but Antonio's muttering small, almost meaningless, sweet nothings to me; while my twin brother is sleeping right next to me.

Antonio then rewraps my leg up in fresh bandages. "Lovi, can you stand now?" he asks, standing up himself and offering me a helping hand.

"Of course I can, idiot," I say, ignoring his hand, and resting Feliciano against the wall. I push myself up and stand up on my feet. I wobble for a moment, and use the wall to regain my balance. "See?"

Antonio chuckles quietly before picking up Feliciano into his arms. "Try walking, my little Lovi," he says walking away from me.

"My little Lovi?! You-" I start saying, taking a step away from the wall to go punch him; and I would have if I hadn't proceeded to fall flat on my face, just after seeing Antonio walk into the dark. I growl lowly and look up as he walks back, with no Feliciano.

"Lovi, are you alright?" he asks, kneeling down and picking me up into his arms. I struggle for a moment but I stop finally as he walks into the darkness towards a light.

"I'd feel great if you'd let me punch you," I say angrily as we approach Emma. She holding a torch at our path, to make sure we don't walk into anything. Antonio puts me down on a make shift bed. He sits on the edge.

"Don't stress yourself, Lovi," Antonio says, kissing my forehead. "Now, sleep." Emma turns the torch off and I hear some movement.

"My brothers?" I question.

"Asleep already," Antonio replies. "I'm taking the first watch, Emma second then Marcello. We're going to keep you three safe, okay?"

I lift my hand up in the darkness to touch Antonio's face. I find his cheek and stroke it softly. "Okay."

Jia - with Erawan, Hoa and Deven

A loud bang wakes me up. It's still dark. I look at my watch on my wrist and notice it's just past midnight. I shake my head groggily and sit up. Another bang goes off and I cover my ears and shut my eyes.

Suddenly an arm pulls me away from the bed. "Jia, we need to go!" I hear someone shout at me. I don't know who it is but I follow it anyway. I open my eyes and I notice it's Deven dragging me out the hotel room. Erawan is in front of him, shooting 'them'.

"Where's Hoa?" I ask.

"Right behind you, doll," I hear her say. I look around and she smiles at me. That smile would look so innocent if she wasn't loading a rifle at that moment.

"Ready?" Erawan says.

Both Hoa and Deven say "ready" then Deven turns to me quickly. "Run as fast as you can Jia. If someone goes down, cry about them later. We can't stay here." I nod back to him and he turns back to the door.

"Go Erawan," he says. Erawan nods and opens the door, Deven pointing his pistol at the door. As soon as the door opens, one of 'them' stumbles through, moaning. Deven shoots and kills it in one shot. Erawan runs out first, looking about and then runs left. Deven closely follows, with me. Hoa trails behind a little, but not by much. I look about. The hallway that was mostly clean when we first arrived is now covered in blood. I hear moans resonate up the stairwell that we're now running down as fast as we can. The gap between Deven and me gets bigger, the longer we run. Each time we go past an opening to another floor, I notice 'them' are now dominating the hallways.

"Looks like we overstayed," Deven says, giving a little laugh, pausing for a moment so I can close the gap. Erawan pauses too for a moment but as soon as I catch up, they're off again.

We're soon in the reception hall. Erawan stops at the bottom of the stairs. Deven was running so close that when Erawan stops, Deven runs into him. "What's up?" Deven asks. Erawan just points into the reception hall. It's been overrun with 'them'. Deven sighs and then gestures to the fire exit under the stairs. "We'll just go this way, then," Deven says, grabbing my arm and pulling me towards it first. Erawan quickly follows, with Hoa. Deven pushes open the fire exit.

And off goes the alarm.

"Oh crap…" Deven says, sighing. He ignores it and just fully opens the door and looks out. "Clear, quick, before-" He stops in mid-sentence and pushes me out the fire exit. "Run, Jia!" I do as he says. I don't know why he said it but he said it for a reason. I only go two steps when I hear Erawan, cry out in pain; followed by Hoa's scream. I ignore it and continue running. I run out of the alleyway into a street. The street is covered in blood. Zombies are standing all over the street, wandering aimlessly. I freeze in fear and don't move. Two of them walk into each other and fall over. They make loud thud sound and the others are attracted to the noise.

This is my chance, I can run now. But my feet won't move.

I suddenly feel a hand grab my arm and my mouth opens to scream but the other hand covers my mouth. I fidget for a moment when I feel air on my ear. I freeze once again. "It's me, now run," I hear him say; him being Deven. Again, I do as he says, trying to keep my foot steps quiet. Deven keeps his hand on my arm and runs ahead slightly. We run right past a zombie and its head turns in our direction and starts following. I begin panicking inside my head. Deven completely ignores it and just continues running.

A little bit after running through the main streets of Japan, I finally begin to tire when we come to an empty street. Deven notices my heavy breathing and stops. "Jia… We need to find somewhere safe, okay?" I nod in reply. "We can't rest just yet." He looks about. "My family clinic should be close by." He says, before running again, pulling me after him.

"Where is your family?" I ask, trying to keep up, without tripping.

"On holiday," he says. "It was just my sister and me but she was killed already by these monsters."

"Oh, I'm sorry for that," I say, a bit depressed now.

We continue running in silence, apart from my breathing. Deven finally stops again outside a normal looking house, apart from the glass doors at the front. "It's small, but it's home." Deven says. I follow him in as he presses a code into a small machine next to the door. We enter quickly and he locks the door. "I locked it before I ran, just in case I had to come back."

"Smart," I simply say. Deven pulls me into the back where his house is and pulls me upstairs. He points to the door on the left.

"You can sleep in there," he says and then points to the door on the right, a little further up. "I'll be in there. But let's get some food first." He leads me back downstairs. For being in this time, it's very clean. He walks down the hallway and heads off through a doorway. He's taken me to a kitchen. I sit down at the table while Deven searches for food. He throws me a packet of crisps before sitting down opposite me. Silence occupies the space between us apart from the rustling of the packets and eating.

When I finish, I cough once and then speak up. "Hoa and E-Erawan…?" I say, my voice cracking slightly.

"When the alarm went off, 'they' realized our position… I pushed you out and told you to run because I knew they would want you to; also, not to see then like that. Those things snuck up behind us and were about to strike Hoa but Erawan pushed her out the way. But he pushed Hoa into a dead-end. I don't know what happened after that. Hoa told me to run and so I did…" he explains.

I stay silent for a moment and feel a solitary tear run down my face. Suddenly I burst out into tears. I'm alone now; Yao was separated from us, Hoa and Erawan are dead. "I'm alone…" I sob. I put my face into my hands and cry. I hear Deven stand up and walk around.

"Jia…" he just says, hugging me. I don't know why but, it's comforting. It's nice to know that someone cares for what's happened. It's nice for someone to just be there.

Kiku – with Yao and Mei Mei

My chest feels heavy. My feet are numb. We'd been running for hours from the horde of infected that had heard Mei Mei crying in her sleep. After what had happened, we had tried to find somewhere to rest. We found somewhere but it wasn't very secure. Her crying attracted the now present mob of 'zombies'. Brilliant. Yao has been trying to keep the front clear while I'm watching the back. Mei Mei is running between us, whimpering.

It appears 'their' senses have sharpened. They can even hear soft footsteps now. That's bad for us; very bad. I start tripping over my own feet, tiring. Finally 'they' end up all around us, due to the sound of my tripping and Mei Mei's whimpering.

I hold her close. We got far but now we're stuck near a bridge. We could try to get to the water but that would result in suicide probably; dying by 'zombies' or drowning in water. Such a wonderful choice. I raise my katana and sigh.

"Sorry but… we're probably going to die here," I sigh, Yao, Mei Mei and I going back-to-back.

"Ha! As if! Let's fight strong!" Yao says. "And if we die, just take as many as you can with you."

Mei Mei and I nod. Mei Mei uses some of her self-defence skills to keep them away while I use my katana to kill and Yao uses his knife. Sadly they start overpowering us. Yao is the first.

He stabs forward, hitting the neck instead. It just cracks its neck and bites Yao's arm. Yao screams out and both Mei Mei and I turn around. Another one bites into Yao's shoulder. Blood is pouring from the two wounds and then more blood as more of 'them' bite into him. He's slowly pulled into the sea of 'zombies' as he screams. Mei Mei stares in horror.

Suddenly the screams stop, and all of 'them' moan together at once. Like a victory cheer. I grab Mei Mei's wrist and pull her to where 'they' are thinnest.

"Mei Mei! We have to get out of this!" Suddenly her wrist is yanked from mine. I spin round and she's been pulled back, and bitten. She's screaming. I stare and feel a tear roll down my cheek. "So that's how it is." I throw myself to her and kiss her, ignoring 'them' that begin biting me. The pain is horrible but I don't care anymore.

"Mei Mei, will you marry me?" I ask as she stares at me, crying and screaming.

She suddenly goes silent and says, "Yes." And together we sink into the sea of 'them', kissing.


	4. SORRY, AUTHORS NOTE

**(Author's Note: SORRY. This is now discontinued. I'm sorry if you enjoyed this but I personally hate it. I may consider redoing it at a later date.)**


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